THROUGH THE EYES OF WONDER

I was visiting one of my “older” friends today and we were discussing, or so I assumed, physics. The exact thing that brought it up was the storm that was running rampant across Arizona today, dropping snow and significant rain.  And, yes, I know significant for us, is like nothing to the rest of America.  I won’t even go there.

But the subject was this.  If the clouds are full of water, which is heavier than air, what holds them up?  My immediate response was “God does”.  My friend’s response?   “How?”  And a great discussion ensued which left me wondering “How?” 

So of course I got on the internet to check it out.  Science is not my forte, after all.  I must rely on what real scientists have discovered.  So here is what I found.  Bear with me, please.

From Scientific American.  (The short version without radius squared and all that stuff.)

“Even though typical clouds do contain a lot of water, this water is spread out for miles in the form of tiny water droplets or crystals, which are so small that the effect of gravity on them is negligible. Thus, from our vantage on the ground, clouds seem to float in the sky.”

From Mental Floss

“Figure out how dense the cloud is. Scientists have measured the water density of a typical cumulus cloud (the white, fluffy ones you see on a nice day) as 1/2 gram per cubic meter—about a small marble’s worth of water in a space you and a friend could comfortably sit in. The density will be greater for different types of clouds. “

(So my friend Yolie and I can’t float, how does a cloud? And then the answer.. sheesh.)

“If elephants or donkeys or dinosaurs were hanging out in the sky, they’d fall. So how does a several-hundred-ton cloud stay afloat? For one thing, the weight isn’t concentrated in a hundred elephant-sized particles or even a billion marble-sized ones. It’s distributed among trillions of really tiny water droplets spread out over a really big space. Some of these droplets are so small that you would need a million of them to make one raindrop, and gravity’s effect on them is pretty negligible.”

 (And now we are elephants and donkeys and DINOSAURS??  Well, maybe my OLDER friends are dinosaurs, but I am not.  At least not yet. More like a donkey, but REALLY?)

This afternoon, after returning home and completing my “research”, the most glorious sunset with the most intricately woven clouds of all colors appeared.  There were dark clouds with flat bottoms, golden ones with red tinges, Orange ones, Dark blue and grey ones, and a glorious white one behind them all.  As I sat there viewing it in awe, it occurred to me.  I really don’t give a fiddle how clouds are held up there.  I know WHO holds them up and that is all that matters, and then it hit me.

The WONDER of clouds, the sky, the earth, Trees and plants.  Air creatures and water creatures and HUMANS…..

And I had my answer for my friend.   GOD DOES. 

Psalm 8: 3 -4  “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?” 

Wisdom from the ages.. About that opportunity...

I have been thinking about things that are going on, not only around the world, but also in my own neighborhood.  It brought to mind a story that a pastor once told. I can’t remember which pastor, and I am not sure if he plagiarized a plagiarism, but I thought that I would just to entertain you all and make a point. Here goes.

A man woke up one day to hear the sound of a sheriff’s bull horn as they drove by and announced that everyone needed to get up and evacuate because a flood was coming.  Drowsily, he went to the window and saw his neighbors fleeing to their vehicles.  He said to himself, “I can wait until all the cars leave, that way I won’t get caught in traffic.” So he made a cup of coffee and sat for a little while, then went out to start his car.  Unfortunately, he had left the lights on, and the battery was dead.  He stuck his head outside and looked at the horrific clouds looming on the horizon, and said to himself, “I don’t need to hurry or worry.  I will wait for the Lord to rescue me.” And with that he went back inside to enjoy his cup of java. 

A little later, he noticed the sheriff driving down the street with the bull horn, calling out to anyone who had been left behind.  They saw him and urged him to get in their vehicle.  He told them “No, the Lord is going to rescue me.”  And went back in for a second cup.

Not many minutes later, he heard the sound of rushing water, and when he looked outside he saw a wall of water rushing down the street. He knew he needed to take to high ground, so he went outside, climbed up a ladder and got on the roof.  Not two minutes later the rushing water came down, taking with it trees and automobiles and pieces of houses.  He was a little afraid, but he said to himself, “No, I will wait upon the Lord. He will rescue me. “

Just a few minutes later he heard the sound of an engine, and down the middle of where the street once was, came a boat with two men inside.  They called to him “Get in! We will take you to safety!”  But being convinced in his own mind that the Lord was going to complete a miraculous rescue, he called back to them, “No, I am waiting on the Lord,”  With that the men in the boat went their way looking for people who were willing to be rescued. 

It seemed forever that he had waited.  The water was up over the roof of the house now, and he could barely keep his footing. But he felt sure that the Lord would rescue him, so he prayed.  About that time he heard another sound, a helicopter overhead looking for survivors of the flood.  They spotted him and zoomed down and lowered a rope to him, telling him to tie himself to it and they would pull him up.  “No,” he said, “I am waiting for the Lord to rescue me.”   They pleaded with him to no avail, and then flew off to search for others who were willing to be rescued.  

Suddenly a huge wall of water came crashing in, and the man was swept away.  The water was so powerful that it ripped and tore at his limbs and he could not stay afloat.  As he sunk into the depths of the flood, he told himself, “The Lord will surely rescue me now.”  And with that he lost consciousness. 

He awoke to a bright heavenly light and all around him were angels and the sound of music more beautiful than any he had ever heard.  He got up, and found that his body was intact and he was wearing a beautiful white robe.  He began to wander, looking around and convinced himself that this must be heaven! 

About that time, the Lord appeared to him and he fell to his knees.  He looked up at the face of the Lord in awe and then a question came to his mind.  “Lord, when I was in the house, in the flood and underwater, why didn’t you save me?” 

And the Lord answered.  “I sent a sheriffs car, a boat and a helicopter.  What else did you expect?” 

And the moral of the story is:  When the call to evacuate comes, don't sit and think about it and remember, God works not only in unexpected ways but also in ordinary ways.  When He provides you an opportunity, even though you don’t think it good enough, take it.  There might not come another.

On Building Patriots

My son and grandson called last week to ask me what the meaning of the song "American Pie" by Don McClean meant.  That inspired me to republish this little article I wrote back in 2009, in a time when it seemed the world was turned upside down.  It has gone so much farther than that since then, that I felt it timely to post this again.  Take some time to listen to American Pie, the prophetical song, by Don McClean.  And then read on. 

On Building Patriots

What picture comes to mind when you picture a Patriot?  Does your mind conjure up pictures of men marching carrying the Flag?  Do your thoughts turn to the pictures we have seen of our soldiers coming home from Iraq?  Is the only thought you have of a Patriot that of someone wearing a uniform and shouldering their duty off to war?  What about the picture of a woman standing at a machine in her house dress, taking the place of her husband, so he could go off to fight?  How about images of teachers who stand up for what is right and have their careers crucified because of it?  How about that single mother struggling to feed, clothe and educate her brood, rather than going on welfare?  Or a father teaching his children to say the pledge of allegiance with “One Nation under God” reverently spoken? 

Growing up in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, being a patriot was not something that was talked about much.  It was something that most of us thought little about, sort of like breathing or sleeping.  It had somehow been instilled in us by some unseen hand.  Doing what was right was the thing that most people strove for, however, when it came to service to their country, the only thing that was considered patriotic was serving in the military. Perhaps, to some extent, that is still the case.  However, I wish to present an answer to these questions that perhaps you have never thought of.  What if being a Patriot only means loving your country and living what is right before your family and your community? 

Ah, but you may say that being a Patriot requires sacrifice.  Yes, that is true, however, who has sacrificed more than one of us who has worked 50 years at the same thankless job, but managed to pay his debt, raise his children to be good citizens and stewards of our land, without notice and without thanks?  What of the grandparent raising their grandchild with old fashioned, family values, to be a man of his word, and of honor?  Yes, Sacrifice is a requirement of being a patriot, but there is more.

Being a patriot requires not only loving your country, but your fellow citizens, and doing what is right not just for yourself, but also for others.  This is not always an easy thing to do, since many of our citizens have turned aside from the values that made this nation great.  Many of our elected officials either never had these values or have forsaken them long ago to pursue the very opposite of being a Patriot, that of being traitors.   Values like honor and integrity, selflessness and prudence are often misconstrued by some of us, or perhaps these values mean nothing at all.  It was not always so.  America was a strong country, full of love for each other, and concern for our fellow man, not only here but also in the entire world.  We were a country of people who fed the hungry, housed the homeless, fought for those living under tyranny, and died for the freedom of all who longed for it. We gave of ourselves, not only to our fellow citizens, but also to the world.  

How did this all start, this downhill slide from our core values?  Well, for one, I believe it started with each and every one of us, when we chose to let actions that were selfish take hold and set selfishness up on a pedestal to worship it.  Those of us who did not participate, turned a blind eye and went on our way, married to our lifestyles.  We pronounced that the new wealth was getting what you cannot afford with what you did not have, and keeping it all to yourself.  When things were bad, we chose to shop, rather than to give to someone in need.  But there is something far worse that we did, that is at the root of all of this.

Our country caved in on itself, simply because we were not watching as our principles and values slipped away.  And that all started at home, when we began choosing to have our children read to by tape recorders and radios, rather than spending the time with them to read, and tell stories.  We parked our children in front of the TV and allowed the commentators, game show hosts, and Barney the dinosaur to baby-sit our children, rather than take them to the park or play games with them.  We allowed the schools to teach our children who God was or wasn’t, and turned over the most important aspect of their lives to school boards who do not know us or what we believe, and do not care about our children.  We abandoned our children to technology and people who we do not know. 

There was a man back during the great depression named Vash Young, who became highly popular because of what he taught.  That being that our greatest wealth lies in what we give, not what we get. 

He touted the man who would give his brother a hand up as the wealthiest on earth.  That used to be the picture of America.  Now it is gravely different. 

We drive past the homeless and are afraid to talk to them, much less give them a hand up. Our children see us, and believe that everyone that is homeless is bad.  We live next door to people who are spiritually and financially bereft and we cannot even give them a word of encouragement.  Our children see how we relate to others and disconnect themselves from their communities.  We watch the old and frail, buying their $40.00 a month worth of groceries, and cannot even pitch in $2.89 to buy them some milk.  Our children see us, and learn that people who are struggling are not valuable.  We rush them off to bed so that we can have our “quiet” time, without kisses without hugs, without prayers.  Worse yet, we find it impossible to take time for other children who come into our lives because of a lack of parental guidance, telling ourselves we are protecting our own from bad influence, rather than involving  ourselves with them to make a difference in their lives.  Our children see us, and learn that they too, as children, have limited value in this world.  

And many have grown up not knowing what values are needed in their lives to succeed.  Some of them may be able to make vast amounts of money, but squander it on foolish things.  Some of them might become leaders with great power and no greatness in them to handle that power.  Some of them may become the ones who are tossed away under bridges.  Some of them may live in poverty, spiritual and financial, all of their lives because we never gave them a chance for a different life.  In short, the real wealth of our lives, our children have been led astray by our own foolishness and lack of interest.  

But not all of our children, not all. There are those parents out there who still hold honor, integrity, love and all of the things important to life, with strength, and teach them to their children. There are those who know that our future lies in those tiny hands.  There are those who understand that in order for this country to survive, we must raise up to ourselves those individuals who will lead our nation through trying times, and back to greatness.  Those people are patriots.  They do what they do for love of their children.  This is at the core of patriotism, love for our God, our families, our freedom, and love for one another. 

Some may say it is too late to turn this thing around.  Some say, and I agree that we have hard times coming upon us and wonder how we will survive.  I say it will take a band of Patriots to turn this thing around.  People who are willing to speak up against what is wrong, live what is right, and stand in the face of the enemy that we have become to ourselves.  It is not too late.  We all have it in us to spend a little time with someone who is sick, take care of someone who is old, and read a book to a child once a week.  It will take little sacrifice, but it will take sacrifice. 

Do you love your children?  Do you love your fellow man?  Do you honor the sacrifices that were made so we could be free?  I believe most of you do.  Now the crisis is upon us, now is the time to give of ourselves for our country.  Stand up, speak what is right, do what is right, and let your children see it and be involved in it.  You will be building a nation of Patriots. 

Copyright 2009 S. Linn Gomez

BEFORE YOU GO

Before you go

Before the light dims from your eyes

And your suffering on this earth is over.

Before the story ends,

I want to tell you..

Your sacrifice has not gone unnoticed.

Your loyal heart is not taken for granted.

The blood that was spilled, the pain endured

Is not unnoticed.

While you are here with me,

Let me bind the wounds of battle

And honor the sacrifice you have given

So we can be free.

Before you go,

Let me hold you and ease the pain

That you hide behind a smile..

While inside, you ache..

Let me honor your life now, while you live

Not with flags on a grave that offer no comfort,

But now, while you are here,

Let me tell of your loyalty to God, to country,

To us. 

Blessed Ones!

Over a year ago, I started out on a mission that I felt in my heart would bless the most forgotten ones.  After 5 years of visiting my dad in the nursing home, I had made acquaintance with many of the residents, and decided that I should continue to visit them, to encourage them and cheer their hearts.  What I have discovered after a year of this, is that the opposite of my “mission” has occurred.  They have encouraged me and cheered my heart! 

These people, who are basically imprisoned by their disabilities and age, have shown me some wonderful truths.  Larry, who turned 90 last week, walks 4 miles every day, and because he is in the assisted living section, still drives his car, takes people to church, and when opportunity provides, helps out others  that live there.   Doris writes little notes and gives them to those who pass by, stating that she is a nice friend to them, and puts her room number down so they can find her later.  Carol, whose lungs and heart are failing, gets in her wheel chair, and gets out of her room and involved with the resident advocates, helping those who she doesn’t even know by casting her vote for those who can’t speak for themselves. Margaret, who has had a debilitating stroke, smiles and offers her hand to everyone.  Johnel, who also had a very bad stroke, so that he can’t even get out of his room, complains very little with his surroundings and situation, just waiting on the Lord, or as he puts it “Just relaxin”.  I have to admit that in the beginning, before actually getting to know these people, that I felt they were a “mission” field.  I have since had my mind decidedly changed, and realize that I am their mission field.   

So what could I possibly find that would cause me to change my mind about the situation?   Or, to make that clear, yours or mine.  For it is surely true that we all will go the “way of the world”, and we only get one chance to ride around the sun.  We have to face it, one day we will all end up either in a nursing home, or stuck at home with little ability to care for ourselves.  And one day, that great leveler, Death, will come for each of us, unless the Lord comes back first.

These ones are just a sampling of the people within nursing homes.  These are those who built our country, fought our wars, made lives for themselves and their communities, and yet they are relegated to simple quarters, and over 90 percent of them get no visitors.  Of course, in this working world, it is nearly impossible to take time off from our busy lives to visit, and it could be that some of them alienated their families by their behavior, however, what I found in visiting these people is this.  Each one, at some time had a life.  As some of them put it, “I had a home, a car and a job once.”  For most Americans, these are the simple necessities.  For these people, all those necessities have been stripped from them.  They now have a bed, in a room they share with strangers, with perhaps a few personal items, and nothing else. Their health is not just on the decline, they are waiting for the end, sometimes even hoping for it.  The ability to care for themselves and to preserve some form of human dignity, even to the point of personal care such as toileting, bathing and feeding, has also been stripped from them.  They are what our society would call, “the cast-offs”. 

But they are far more than what they appear, as I have finally come to understand.  In their world, filled with darkness and hopelessness, they are a shining light.  In the midst of the suffering, in the pain and the lonely nights, in the endless waiting, they have a hope.  Each of the ones I mentioned have put their trust in the Lord God, believing every word He has said, knowing it to be true, and trusting that one day, hopefully sooner than later, they will be with him. 

So how have they changed my mind about my “mission” field?  I find this; they were once as I am now.  Working, having a car and a place of their own, having families and things to do. They were once held by the dreams of this world, to succeed in their chosen paths, to live a long and happy life, and to spend their days in happiness.  It never occurred to any of them that they would end up in a nursing home, abandoned by family and friends, having some stranger wipe them, feed them, and take care of their every need.  They are, to put it bluntly, you and I in the very near future.  And as will happen to all of us, the unthinkable happened.  They got too old and ill to take care of themselves. 

But something greater happened in all this too.  In losing everything, they found their center, the truth of our hope in Christ.  They had always known the Lord, but now they found He truly is “with them always”.  They found that, in the midst of the suffering, He sustains them, holds them and loves them.  They found the only true thing in life, that the Lord is their strength, their shield, their comforter and their friend.  And even in the middle of the suffering, they all found joy! 

And thus, I became their mission field, and they became my mentors and teachers.  There is still so much to learn from them, before they leave this earthly home for their heavenly one.  I want to know what else they can inspire me to do, what advice they have to give, and most of all, I want to get a firm grip on the hope that makes them shine like beacons in the night. Because one day it will be my turn to pass the torch.  I can only hope I will be anything nearly as wonderful as they are. 

Take a moment, listen to the song at the beginning, contemplate your life.  You were made for a purpose.  Live it to the last drop. 

I HEAR DEAD PEOPLE. :)

I hear dead people.  Yah, you heard me. I hear them.  Well, not exactly AUDIBLY, but I hear them.  I shall explain, but first let me tell you what brought me to tell you of this.

Today, on another New Year cleaning organizing binge, I determined that I was going to pull out one of the old trunks, give it a good coat of Tung Oil, dust and vacuum it.  That was interesting, because considering its age, there is probably 129 year old dirt in there.  But there are also family treasures, or “Junk” as my kids like to refer to it. 

I painstakingly pulled all the “Junk” out, pulled out the drawers of the trunk, and stuffed everything in plastic bags.  After all, “Junk” needs protecting from my inept painting rituals.  I attempted as best I could to sort the” Junk” by who it belonged to, and even decided (HOLD YOUR BREATH, KIDS) to throw some stuff out.  So various and sundry boxes and carefully tied ribbons that I will NEVER in my life ever be able to identify the person whose hair they tied, went into the REAL trash bags.

Then I dragged the trunk outside, brushed it carefully, vacuumed it, and proceeded to apply the life -saving oil.  For those of you who don’t know anything about Tung Oil, it is the stuff that our Great Great’s used prior to the invention of Shellac or Varnish.  And obviously it works, because all these years later, that trunk still has the canvas, the wood, the latches; everything intact, except the key.

So after the careful application of the Tung Oil, I came inside to sort and identify the “Junk”.  I had decided a while back that I am probably not going to live forever, and someone in my family may want the Trunk of Junk and perhaps they would like to know what each item is in it, rather than attempting to guess.  Some items were easy; Funeral books, letters in the envelopes, World War II newspapers.  But it was the articles of clothing and some of the other stuff that I needed to label.  I decided that for the clothing, I would just stuff a note in the pocket. Hey it worked for my grandmother!

The first thing I ran up against was a trash bag full of linens, my grandmothers’ bonnet (easy to identify because I had seen her wear it)  and some pot holders that I know she made, because I helped her.  There was also a stack of neatly ironed Table linens, that were made easy by my Dad’s evident scrawl across the bag that said, “My mother’s Table Linens, cotton and linen.”  I quietly said “Thank you, Dad” and sorted through it all.  It’s amazing that each piece is still so neatly folded together with the companion pieces, and still smells something like my grandmothers linen closet.  It’s also amazing that my dad even bothered to label the bag.

On to the Military Uniforms.  I looked at a long overcoat, thinking for sure it was an Army coat, because of the wool and the color.  I could not imagine my dad needing an overcoat off in the Pacific Islands.  And then I heard his voice.  “Look at the buttons.”  Mind you I was not taken back by this, I just did as I was told, as I had been taught by Mr. Marine Sergeant and clearly on the buttons was the Marine emblem.  The second item, a uniform coat, was the same, and the Marine hats were easy to identify, because there is a picture of Dad wearing one.   

Then on to the various and sundry papers that were neatly rolled up.  I know I had seen them before, but never looked at them.  And then a voice, “Take a peek”.  My Granddads’ voice for sure.  So I opened it up, and there were all his diplomas and his teaching certificate from 1912. 

I could go on and on about the things I found in there, that I had never noticed before, and the voices of those gone on before that I heard. 

And I am sure each of you would find it creepy that I hear their voices.  But I don’t find it creepy, I find it comforting.  It’s not like it’s audible, it’s more like it’s hidden away in my heart. 

For there is where they are, each of them, with their smiles and their little laughs, the jigs they danced and the arms that held me.  But most of all, the voices that taught me and directed me in my life. 

Somehow I know they are watching, occasionally going “OH SUSAN” and occasionally rejoicing.  I know they are with Jesus, who also watched them go through this process of sorting through dead people’s stuff.  And He is the one I can hear audibly.  For He is telling me, “These are part of the legacy of your forebears, who are with me forever.” 

A New Year, New Opportunities!

It is 2015, another year, another chance to live a life with meaning.  I have often wondered if my life would matter upon this planet.  With this New Year, I intend to make a dent in the things I have left undone. I am trusting the Lord to give me direction, to find the path and the purpose for my life. This morning, with the new snowfall fresh on the ground, He impressed upon me that there are many sayings that people use as guides for their lives.  The following is the first thing He brought to my mind. And so here is my first dent in undone things for this year.  

Beware the bareness of a busy life.

This one is a warning to those who are so busy making a living they forget to build a life.  Believe me when I say that there will come the day when you will not be able to work to build a portfolio.  If you live a busy life, there will come the day when your Account at the bank may be full, but your life Account will be empty.  Money and things are cold partners. Not only that, those who fill themselves with busyness, become addicted to the day-in day-out workings of a corporate world.  Busyness does not just include the making of money, it includes the filling of a life with tasks that while they bring a semblance of discipline to life, are not fulfilling when it comes to your soul. If you fill up your life with tasks to obtain stuff, you will find at the end that your soul is bankrupt. More importantly, those things may fill up your pockets, your house, or your garage, and eventually fill up the pockets, garage and house of your heirs, but it will not touch one soul on earth with anything that has any lasting significance.  

We were put on the planet to work. But work includes more than just making money.  It is how you do it and why you do it that makes it count for something.  If you do everything from an aspect of love toward your family and fellow man, your busyness will count for something.  If you do it only for gain, you will find your days empty and lonely.

It is necessary to make a living.  But begin your day and end your day of busyness with love toward your family.   Believe me when I say that a neglected child becomes a bitter adult.  I don’t even need to explain to some of you men, what a neglected wife becomes. And wives, a neglected man finds other things to do, perhaps those that he shouldn’t do. So cuddle and coddle your children and your spouse enough to let them know that they are important in your life, and that nothing is more important.  Don’t try to fill their lives with things.  Things will never take the place of a relationship with you.  Spend time with each of them, one on one.  Share your heart, share your dreams, and share YOURSELF with them.  And never forget your sisters and brothers.  Inclusive in that statement are cousins. After all they are just sisters and brothers, once or twice removed, who never had the opportunity to traumatize you. 

If you have elderly parents, aunts or uncles, do not neglect them, even if they neglected you.  There will come the day when you will wish you could spend time with them. Death is the great leveler.  I can truly say that it will come for each and every one of us, and once it does, the opportunities for building a relationship are done. Spend time with them, even if they were one of those busy people who never spent time with you.  Find out what they are about, what made their lives tick.  This is where you will find the clue to why they have done what they have done and sometimes reasons for you to do likewise or avoid at all costs.  

My dad is the greatest example I can give. He was one of those who was always so busy it made him grumpy.  He neglected each and every one of his children and his parents.  He somehow felt he had to earn a living and it was not until his later years he learned he had not earned a life.  The last 5 years of his life, he was a captive audience, living at a nursing home.  I made a point to spend time with him, if not every day, then every other day.  Although I had to take time from my busy schedule, listen and bite my tongue more than usual, and on occasion wonder why I was doing this, I found in the end, that both of us gained from this experience.  He gained introspect into his own life, and I gained understanding of why he was the way he was.  For the first time in my life, I came to know who he was really was, not just who he portrayed to the world.  When he left this world, I found that I truly loved him, in spite of who he had been to me all my life.  For the first time in my life, I had a relationship with my dad.  I will always be grateful I was given the opportunity to make this relationship right.  

    

Do not neglect the others in your life for sake of busyness. There are those who God put in your life for a reason or for a season.  Your friends become your family when your family cannot fulfill that role. Your extended family, those who are in-laws (not outlaws) and their children can be the family you always longed for.  I have sister-in-laws from my brother’s marriages and from my former marriages who are truly sisters.  They call, they write, they are there for me.  I love them as though they were my own, because they have become my own.  I have friends who know my deepest secrets, and still love me, amazingly.

And then there are those random people you meet.  The store clerk who checks out your groceries, the old man in the produce isle who stops to chat you up about the cost of cucumbers and the lady who goes walking with her dog past your house.  You may never see them again, you may never learn their names, but you have the opportunity to make a difference in their life, if only for one day.  Some people have no one.  Some people never see a smile or hear a kind word except on TV.  So smile at someone today that you do not know.  Greet your store clerk.  Let someone know that they matter on this earth at least for one moment.

Give hugs often.  If you are not a hugger, then give a handshake.  If you are a germophobe, nod your head.  Recognize the people who walk the world with you.  If you do the math you will learn that you to each one you may have given only one, but at the end of the day, you got back ten.

God’s math is amazing.  What you give, you get back in multiples.  Don’t clog up your life with busyness, fill it up with love and you will find that your life was not barren, but had some meaning to someone on this earth including yourself.  After all, why else are we here?